The present invention relates generally to an antenna mast. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a light weight antenna mast.
Under the rules of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), television (TV) broadcasters are required to complete a transition from their current National Television System Committee antenna systems to digital television (DTV) antenna systems by the year 2006. To fulfill the requirements of the FCC, TV broadcasters are installing DTV antenna systems on their existing antenna towers.
The addition of the DTV antennas to the existing antenna towers has not only reduced the amount of space available for leasing out, but has also driven up both the weight loads and windloads of those existing antenna towers. The number of antennas that can be installed on an antenna tower is limited to the amount of tower space, the amount of weight the tower can withstand and/or the amount of windload the tower can withstand. Accordingly, a tower can only withstand a certain amount of weight and/or windload before the tower fails in its support functions.
Constucting new towers is usually not a feasible solution. Aside from the high cost of tower construction, difficulties arise in finding an acceptable location and in obtaining construction permits. Often, community members near the proposed construction site oppose the building of antenna towers in their communities. In addition, tower construction is limited to locations where the environmental conditions are suitable for the erection of an antenna tower. For example, it is not suitable to bulid antenna towers where the moisture level in the soil is high.
To alleviate overcrowding and potentially overloading antenna towers, television station operators have turned to sharing multi-channel antennas. Multi-channel antennas are capable of transmitting more than one station, and thus, it is possible to avoid having an antenna for every station.
As a result, TV station operators desire to utilize multi-channel antennas that are capable of being stacked vertically to increase the signal transmitting capability of the antenna tower structure. Thus, each antenna mast structure must be capable of supporting one or more antennas that may be vertically stacked on top of it.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a mast structure for an antenna that can support a number of antennas stacked vertically on top of it.
In one aspect of the present invention an antenna mast is provided that includes, N faces, N corners intermediate adjacent ones of the N faces, and N fins. Each of the N fins extends radially from each of the N corners and includes a plurality of bars.
In another aspect of the present invention, an inner support structure is provided, and each of the N fins extends radially from the inner support structure.
In another aspect of the present invention, each of the N fins extends between the inner support structure and one of the N corners.
In another aspect of the present invention, each of the plurality of bars extends diagonally across each of the N fins in a direction oppsoite to an adjacent one of the plurality of bars.
In another aspect of the present invention, each of the plurality of bars extends diagonally across each of the N fins in a direction opposite to an adjacent one of the plurality of bars.
In another aspect of the present invention, each of the N fins comprises M sections, and at least two of the plurality of bars are spaced apart in each of the M sections.
In another aspect of the present invention, at least two of the plurality of bars extend diagonally across each of the M sections in opposite directions.
In another aspect of the present invention, the inner support structure is hollow and each of the N fins are welded to the inner support structure.
In another aspect of the present invention, the inner support structure is cylindrical in shape, has a diameter of approximately six inches, and a wall thickness of approximately four tenths of an inch.
In another aspect of the present invention, N is a five.
In another aspect of the present invention, each of the N faces has a radially extending flange.
In another aspect of the present invention, each radially extending flange is coupled to an adjacent flange.
In another aspect of the present invention, an antenna mast is provided that includes, a means for coupling N faces of a mast together, a means for sectioning the mast, wherein the sectioning means has a first side and a second side and is positioned intermediate adjacent ones of the N faces, and a means for coupling a plurality of bars between a first side and a second side of the sectioning means.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a mast is provided that includes, coupling N faces of a mast together, positioning a fin, having a first side and a second side, intermediate adjacent ones of the N faces, and forming the fin by extending a plurality of bars between the first side and the second side of the fin.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.